Danger's Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her

On May, 11, 1945 the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), while supporting the Okinawa landings, was hit by two kamikazes, suffering heavy damage and horrendous losses in lives. This books describes two parallel stories, the struggle to save the big ship and a brief biography of the young men who took the fatal plunge crippling her. Several mistakes were found in the text, amongst them: (1) page 51 - General Eduardo Gomes didn't take power in 1930's Brazil; it was Getúlio Dornelles Vargas who did it, starting a dictatorship which went through 1945. Gomes was just one of his Cabinret Ministers. (2) page 109 - quoting the text "...the Intrepid, Essex, Bunker Hill, Yorktown and the new Lexington..."; the correct should be "...The Essex, Yorktown, Lexington, Bunker Hill and the new Intrepid..."; from the above mentioned carriers, the USS Intrepid (CV-11) was the last to get into action, doing it on January 1944; (3) page 164 - Iwo Jima served as na unsinkable carrier for the hundreds of B29 crewmen who took to her 9.000 foot airfield for emergency landings, and which also acted as a base for VLR P51Ds and P47Ns escorting the Superfortress fleets bombing Japan; (4) page 199 - All told, 24 Essex-class carriers were built but only 14 were comissioned and went into action against the Japanese before VE Day; (5) Page 260 - Buckner Bay was named after Lt.-General Simon Bolivar Bruckner, US Army (not Marines), who was KIA on June 18, 1945. His successor as 10th Army Commander was Lt.-General Roger Geiger, USMC; (6) Page 434 - "...Turnbull borrowed a plane from Henderson Field..."; Henderson was in Guadalcanal rather than the Hawaiian Islands. However, these small revisional errors don't reduce the excellency of Mr. Kennedy's work, a very meticulous and well-done job.

"Danger's Hour" is a phenomenal read. Max Kennedy, through personal stories and the careful portrayal of the political and social framework in Japan, manages to make the implausible plausible: He gives the Kamikaze pilot a face. We see them not as fanatics, but as sons, brothers, and husbands. Faced with the futility of their plight, and in many cases, not in the name of country, but to honor family, they reluctantly choose their destiny. The brutality and violence of war is explained with brutal honesty, with many photos and detailed descriptions. The camaraderie, bravery and selflessness of the crew on The Bunker Hill is truly inspiring. Particularly the crew in the engine room. A thoroughly engaging read, I loved it and could not put it down. Craig Gillespie.

For Years I was told a story, of a man I never met yet somehow knew. A man whom I was named for. I craved to know more to know how and why and where he met his end. I found the answer In a very unique and wonderful place, A Book. If the only thing Mr Kennedy did was write a noval about an incident in WW2, about an Essex Class aicraft carrier.HIs way with prose would allow the reader to experience the horror and the bravery of that day. That in itself would allow me to recommend this book But he did so much more. Mr Kennedy In writing this novel, Hhas done a service to both the survivors of the Bunker Hill and the families of the dead. He has ( at least in my case) put a face on these men. He has with his ability to tell a story Helped me and my family finally put an end to a saga that for my family started 63 years ago. To all the Vets of the Bunker Hill, To there families and the families of those Killed in Action on the ship we owe Mr kennedy a debt of gratitude, one My family acn ill repay. So iN closing i say to the families of the crew, there survivors, to the survirs of those buried in th ecold water of the Sea of Japan. and to those intrested in the Historty of the United States in WW2 Please Buy this book it is well worth the Price and the time. To Mr Maxwell Taylor Kennedy Thank you from me and My family Mr Leonard A Malvone RN

If only all history books were written like this. This is a magnificent book which will appeal not only to military buffs,but also readers who enjoy true adventure stories.This saga is a biography of the U.S.S. Bunker Hill (CV-17) the sailors and fliers who served onboard and finally the 2 kamikaze pilots that struck her.The first part of this book deals with a little history,giving the reader background information on Japan and an overview of the Pacific War.Included in this part is the story of Kiyoshi Ogawa a bright and gifted student who will end up in the tokkotai,the Bunker Hill an Essex Class carrier ( Kennedy does an outstanding job of describing her strengths and weaknesses) and finally some of the sailors,officers,and fliers who served onboard.Part 2 has the Bunker Hill being used in air support during the Okinawa campaign and word has gotten around the fleet that Japanese pilots are crashing into U.S.ships.In fact at one point two officers on the Bunker Hill see a kamikaze strike the U.S.S. Randolph.So the stage is set for the May 11,1945 attack on the Bunker Hill and the aftermath.What follows are over 100 pages of carnage and heroism,that will have readers on the edge of their seats .All in all Maxwell Kennedy has written an exciting and engrossing story of one particular event in a savage and bloody war.He also does a great job of taking the reader aboard the fighters as they take-off and land on carriers,and go on torpedo and bomb runs.He also shows you the spirit of the fighting man and what makes them so special and a breed apart from others.The book comes with a map of the Pacific and a diagram of the Bunker Hill which will aid the casual reader.As for photos there are plenty and a word of caution: many are very graphic.One of the best WW 2 books I've read!

Maxwell Taylor Kennedy's book about the kamikaze attack on the USS BUNKER HILL is a powerful and arresting account of World War II. Kennedy has done his homework and his research is impressive. He based this book on work in the National Archives, using after-action reports and log books, but also interviews with surviving crewmen. The problem with oral histories done many years later is that they often give the survivors a larger voice than they might otherwise deserve just because they survived. Kennedy compensates for this glitch by becoming a historian/detective. He contacted the families of many deceased members of the crew and got access to their letters and diaries. The result is an account that is informative and reads well. Kennedy also interviewed a number of kamikaze alumni and shows--quite rightly--that none of them were crazy monsters or suicidal fanatics. He manages to give the other side, humanity and develops their point of view, something which is often lacking in English-language studies of the Pacific Theater. His argument that the ship and the kamikazes represent two different ways of war is exaggerated, and distorts more than it helps. He is, however, dead on the mark when he contends that the Japanese suicide pilots offer lessons important and relevant to the Long War/Global War on Terrorism. By comparing the accounts, records, and/or artifacts of American and Japanese participants in this kamikaze campaign, Kennedy even manages to indentify the pilot that slammed into the BUNKER HILL, Ensign Ogawa Kiyoshi. Using interviews with Ogawa's friends and family, he gives his readers a personality sketch of a reluctant kamikaze. This type of material is fresh and new, but since Kennedy must depend on others to explain Ogawa, the pilot never emerges as a fully developed personality. The book becomes much stronger when it comes to the actual attack. Kennedy's coverage is detailed. The photographs that litter the text are one of the most striking parts of this book. Kennedy pulls no punches and includes images of dead Americans. The bodies in these illustrations are often in bad shape, which brings home the real nature of war. Drawings of the ship and its compartments in the inside of the binding/cover are an important addition. Readers looking for a good account of the War in the Pacific will enjoy this entertaining and informative read.